That generation of Ultegra is bomb proof and lasts forever with good maintenance. Such a good bike for £400!

One of my favorite episodes you've put out. Expensive new bikes are wonderful, but seeing you save this bike hit home.

The bike check itself was worth more than the bike. Definitely something I'll on my next used bike find. Appreciate the content. Can't wait to view the video of the bike getting cleaned up and ride ready.

I bought a used Cannondale CAAD12 from 2018 a while ago for €1200. Shimano Ultegra components just like yours only in the colour Limegreen metallic. It still looks like new and rides brilliantly. One of the best road bikes in my opinion.

I properly enjoyed this. But this video needs a part 2 where we can follow this bikes journey back to mint condition. Let Jim have loose reins and go at it! We're not falling for the part where he'll charge you anyway. ^.^

The CAAD12 is a classic. I have one myself. I have it spec'd out with some great kit and got it down to 7.62kg. It is an amazing bike. Only thing is that the frame is a bit brittle. Take good care of it and it will perform as fast if not faster than modern carbon frame bikes!

One of the best break downs on what to look for in a used bike I have seen. Looking forward to seeing what you do with this CAAD12.

Love this content David. It's good to see brand new bikes of course; and it's great to see the new technical developments. However, unfortunately, the prices for brand new cycling gear have severely skyrocketed. it's great to showcase the great deals that exist out there in the used market. This particular bike is a great showcase of awesome cycling equipment that can be obtained at a fraction of the cost of brand new equipment. The bike check was also very educational for those looking at the used market in order to keep cycling affordable. I'm looking forward to the follow up videos on how the bike is modified and brought to life. Would love to see the progression.

The dork disc, the uncut steerer tube are clues with wich you can predict 95% of the state this bike is in. Nice one though! This is all the bike most of us need, and probably potentially better than most of us got.

Love videos like this - older bikes are so overlooked. As far as the crazing on the decals goes, actually, I'd clear coat it - think it looks kind of cool.

Bought a 2016 Cannondale Supersix frame for £350 last year. Absolutely love it, looks better than 99% of modern bikes

Looking forward to part 2 of the rebuild. You’re on to something here David!👏🏼

Nice to see some everyday bikes being used on the channel. I don't normally watch it as the bikes on here are normally way out of my price range but if this kind of content with good value stuff is featured, will keep watching! Keep it up.

Really great to see an expert at work talking through his process. I learned a lot. Would love part 2 where we get to see him get the bike back to the condition it deserves

That’s a really really good video just shows what’s out there - can’t wait to see the finished article -

Great show David, more of this please.

I'm insanely jealous of that bike! I met a guy during a rally a couple weeks ago who'd bought a 2013 version of a similar Cannondale and I was just blown away. It's aluminium and you can barely see any welding! All any of those bikes need is just a tuneup and maybe upgrade to some decent carbon fiber wheels and you're all set! Great find David!

😁 Great video, great information and well edited. Thanks David!

There's nothing "cheap" or "entry level" about this frameset. CAADs absolutely rip. Been rocking a murdered out sandblasted CAAD10 since 2011👌

your mechanic has the most hypnotizing voice ever ;) this video is like 2 hours of yoga :D

Excellent video as always and some very good maintenance/inspection advice from Jim for those of us that like to work on our own bikes. There’s just something cool about these kind of 2010’s rim brake bikes and they are absolute bargains. Can’t wait to see the upgraded spec 👌🏼

Very interesting David. Looking forward to seeing the bike on the road.

Can't wait to see this bike brought back to life. Love the bike check walk-though and Jim's knowledge.

Sweet ride. Can’t wait to see the follow up and what you decide to upgrade/ replace …

The best “how to” and “what to check” videos I’ve ever watched. Thank you for putting this together

Great job by Jim! Very heartened to see the distinction between guide and tension pulleys, and the mention of rear mech pivot wear, that's right up my street 😀 I'd ditch the nasty corroded Mavics but still keep shallower alloy hoops on there to make it look stock. Maybe some Vittoria corsa boots? You could even hunt down some used tubs if you fancy a challenge!

I am happy for you, David, and not the least bit jealous, just that some guys have all the luck. 😀

Awesome video. Nice bike. Can't wait to see how it rides. There is something very satisfying about bringing an old race horse back to life. Good on ya!

Looking forward to seeing this bike again in your future videos, David.

I have a disc CAAD12 and it’s lighter and faster than most new carbon frames. Stick some light wheels and 28mm tyres on and it and it will ride like a rocket. Looking at the crank arms and the decals on that bike say’s to me it’s hardly done any miles but been left gathering dust in a shed with a window or something similar. You’ve got a bargain there 👍🏼

I really enjoyed this video, well Dave and Jim. It was informative and useful. Thank you

great video do more of! and anything the bike is needing do too but foremost the painting...

That is a fantastic bike, I love the CAAD12. I think with a strip down, clean and regrease, some new brake pads, cables, tape and saddle and a decent set of wheels and tyres, that will be a stonking bike!

Such an interesting project. very valuable to see how the mechanic assesses everything.

Sweet alloy bike, ultegra 6800 is so good, my only dislike is the Cannondale crankset but is easy to replace.

Outstanding video, extremely insightful. Just scored a CAAD 1 off the Cannondale site for clearance price with 105 group set, looking forward to getting her on the road.

There are some great bargains to be had on the second-hand market right now as it's kinda flooded. I just picked up a Specialized Roubaix for £350. It's much older than this Cannondale but it's also in great condition, seems to have hardly been ridden in its life, but well kept and needs no work. My first full carbon bike and it's such a smooth ride.

Jim seems very knowledgeable and a great presenter. Thanks!

Great video, David. Loving the rescue of a great bike, I will be looking for a road bike in the future after just bringing my 1995 Dyna Tech Torus Ti MTB back to life and have always loved a 'Dale' no point in spending thousands for these 62 year old legs to spin around on..... Well done, looking forward to Pt 2. 👏👏

Look forward to seeing the tidied up version!

I'd strip it back to aluminium, get some small old school Cannondale logos for the top tube, then 2k clear coat. Carbon wheels, seatpost and bars. SRAM Red 11 speed mechanical. Clean up and sell all the other parts.

Can't beat a CAAD 12, and this looks like it will be a fabulous summer bike - a decent set of wheels/ tyres. After a nice clean...

Great video! I love listening to people who sound like they know what they're talking about, and Jim seems like one of those. If I lived closer, I'd book a cuppa with him! I've been riding my Scott CR-1 Team since 2009, so this is a handy guide to doing a bit of a once-over myself.

At last a useful KZfaq bike video. Congratulations. Thank you

Very keen to see this progress.

There was me thinking of selling my pristine beloved 1998 American built Cannondale R800! After having watched this video that's not ever going to happen! An excellent video as well!! Thanks David!😁

Sale of the century find with that bike. Some nice upgrades in the tyre and inner tube department, re-cabling throughout, personal preference saddle and a good wash/wax/ceramic coat and you'd have a great sub 1k bike that can easily hold its own against the modern totally overpriced and over complicated marketing dept driven egobikes. Smart money.

Enjoyed this as I also have a CAAD12, although with hydraulic disc brakes and deep section Hollowgram carbon wheels. Goes like a dream. Looking forward to see what you do with it.

Best episode you've done. Love this kind of content compared to a lot of the new product churn (but I get it, you've got bills to pay!)

In a world of OTT 10k+ superbike content this is a wonderful breath of fresh air, more please! Pretty please!!

Really enjoyed this video. It goes to show that you dont need to spend a fortune to get a nice bike! After buying a second hand bike recently which was a gem of a find it has made me want to buy more second hand and give them some TLC. Helps if you know what to look for. You mustn't be scared to 'kick tyres' either!

Love this type of content! I have a 2019 Model with R8000. I run Upgraded wheels either 45-50mm Carbon or High End Aluminium Box rims with 28mm tyres and it is bombproof, comfortable and fast. Looking forward to how this progresses.

Great video! I agree with the comments … one of your best. Please do share follow-ups. And for what it’s worth, I love the crackling on the black - super cool. Just polish it up!

Very nice buy for £400,I like the Hollowgram Si Crankset,those look really good and work great.Safe riding.

Had a Caad 10 Ultegra for a period, awesome bike. No problems at all. Classic👌

I bought a CAAD 4 as my first road bike last year and I have fallen in love with it. It's from 2001, but it still looks exciting and rides just great. It had an old Cannondale 2-by crankset and 9-Speed Tiagra ST-4400 STIs. I updated the crank set to a Tiagra FC-4700 and the old triggers to a Sora R3000 and this bike is just so much fun. I only spent 250€ on buying it, upgrades and inspections were probably 300€. But this is something special and these old frames have something more extraordinary than most of the newer frames, that look more understated often times. Great video!

What an excellent video. Very informative. IMO, you have to go with the maximum recommendation. I'd put on new tyres, get everything cleaned and I'd also renew all the cables. Looking forward to what happens next.

More of this please, excellent content 👍

I've been riding 20 years. During that time, I've owned at least 8 road bikes (bought all new, almost all carbon) and 4 CX bikes. My newest rig, which cost me a ransom, is the Cervelo Caledonia-5 SRAM Red AXS 12-speed disc. And I'm gonna say that of those dozen bikes, my CAAD12 is far-and-away the best value and one of the most fun bikes to ride, which is why i decided not to sell it, and i kept the frameset and refitted it with Campagnolo Super-Record EPS and Fulcrum Speed wheels (rim brake set-up, thank the Lord). The aluminum CAAD12 with pedals and cages weighs 15.1 pounds. 😆

I had precisely that frame (until a burglar took it) that I built up with Dura-Ace around that Cannondale SISL2 chainset. Carbon everything including wheels. It was beautiful. Hope you love it as much as I loved mine. Very glad you did this episode. Look forward to the follow up. Owned a CAAD 10 Black Edition before that. Both great but the 12 just shades it IMHO.

Love that you got a CAAD12, I love mine

The cracked logo is actually my favorite visual part of the bike. Such a lovely pattern!

Nice! I have a CAAD4 crosser from 2002, with a Headshock, and I love it to bits. One of the original all road bikes! Cheers

Those bikes are worth £1200-£1500 in good condition - those frames are in demand. Having said that, a good CAAD12 is a keeper. 👍

I literally picked up a 2016 cannondale supersix evo today to join my university's cycling club!

Refreshing and welcome to back to the future…….. of non proprietary tech, simple maintenance and with the right wheels and rubber a bike likely to be more fun overall than many carbon wonders, regardless of price point. Lads anyone remember to check for a seized seat post and visual inspection of the seat tube/ head tube apertures / fork steerer for over tightening, hairline cracking ? Unlikely from condition of the rest of the bike but certainly worth a mention here.

More of this kind of content please. Good to see Bob again, cuppa in hand as per!

my 2017 emonda sl6 I have cleaned it this past winter and put new tires on it and that alone made a difference ! he has given me a couple things else to look at such as the rear derailleur ! the cassette and chain have been replaced that also made it like new again! now for the weather to break from winter.

I work for a bicycle cooperative in the USA; we regularly get bicycles like this donated, after which we refurbish and resell them back into the community. With so many good used bike out there, unless you “must” have the latest and greatest, it is almost silly to buy new.

new bartape maybe new bar?? new cables + housing new chain (maybe cassette) (kmc x11r costs around 15-20€) I'd just put new BB30 bearings in used set of mavic cosmic wheels (cheat these days) new tyres clean that bike and you have a really nice race bike....easy you can get super nice bikes second hand for a good price. I bought a supersix evo high mod 2018 (first with disc brakes) with dura ace di2 for around 2000€. That bike was sold for 15000€ back in 2018

You would not believe the second hand market here in Peru. We get so few road bikes that 8 year old models are being sold at last year's prices. It's insane.

I could see a used pair of carbon wheels, pair of GP5000 tubeless, new cable guides/wires and fresh bar tape -- you'd have a ripper!

Congrats on the purchase. I wouldn´t spend any money on the original bike besides the mandatory\obvious maintenance, modern saddle and new decals. Keep it as mint as possible, cheers!

Had a CAAD12 with SRAM Red 22 and Winspace Hyper 50s in the same Acid Red color. Weight was 6.8kg with Assiomas in size 54. Super fun bike that wasn't far off my previous S-Works Tarmac SL6 for fraction of the money. Just a bit harsher ride but not bad by any means. You can actually clear 28mm on more modern calipers which makes the ride decent. Routing the mechanical brake cable is also actually better if you have the rear brake on the left side as the entry for the rear brake is on the right side of the top tube and the bend does affect the rear brake a bit. Another thing I noted is that it might be worth spending a bit more on a CBear or BBinfinite bottom bracket as they tend to creak a bit. I might have to get another CAAD at some point just cause they are awesome 🙂

Yep, awesome bike for the money. Can't wait for you to test it out on a decent set of wheels (nothing too crazy!) and give us a ride report and some comparison times with something newish? Lots of us have got something so similar as a first or spare/winter bike!

The CAAD12 is a true classic. I have the 2019 ULTEGRA model. Amazing bike!

Your comments reveal your inexperience. That’s not a lot of rust on the chain and cassette. Cracked paint is not unusual. But you’re right that you got a very good value, a bike worth fixing up and enjoying., and your video makes that point well. You are in the hands of a very good mechanic.

You got a great deal! If I found something like that, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

I'm screaming at the screen " REMOVE THE CHAIN" when h'es checking the BB

Great content and really useful info. He knows his onions ❤

A really interesting video, and very informative for us mere mortals who can't afford to shell out 4 or even 5 figures for a bike. I've got 4 bikes in this sort of price category (well, £500, not £400) and they're all great. They have slightly different applications and it's so useful to have options when one of another needs a repair.

very enjoyable vid. learned a lot

I bought my first new Cannondale (R400) in 1985 for $400 USD. The ride was so harsh that it could jar the fillings out of your teeth. Those CC-2 chain checkers tend to show that the chain is worn out when it isn't. I always use a steel 12" rule to double check it.

I found a 1998 Cannondale CAD3 in the trash last summer, full Shimano 8 speed 105 drivetrain, brakes, brifters and Shimano WH-R560 wheels. Rides amazingly well with no issues and fun when I want to just ride in retro mode for the day.

What a find! Ksyriums and a Hollowgram crankset? Nice!

Hopefully we'll get to follow your journey with this bike. I have a 2018 CAAD 12 with some Hunt wheels and run tires up to 30mm. It's my all rounder and pretty comfortable on long days with the bigger tires.

Fantastic video!!

Quite a learning :) Awesome & Thanks :)

I recently bought a secondhand Cannondale with Mavic Krysium equip wheels. When I got home and cleaned it, I noticed that the rear rim was cracked around a few of the spoke nipples. So checking the rims for cracks is something I would add to your checklist when buying a secondhand bike.

I could listen to Jim talking about Bottom Brackets for hours!

My ride is a 1995 Klein Quantum II - the original Ultegra STI's failed as have the replacement [used] bar end shifters. I've changed the cables, tires, tubes and rim strips and bar tape but all else is original. Pedals and crank arms easily come off. I disassembled one pedal to find it still in well lubed. I updated it to an 11-speed Ultegra cassette but could only fit on 10 gears and had to use the 8-speed locking ring and it's worked well. It's not aero and it's not setting weight records but with newer tires and now riding at 80psi (instead of 120) it's lots of fun. I'd love a new aero ride with carbon wheels but can't really justify it. Having gone from cheaper/durable tires to good 25/28c ones and the 11 speed I seem to have picked up ~1.5km/h average on 2 hour rides. I do not trust STI (my DeoreXT ones from the 90's also failed) to last >6 years so I'll stick with friction shifters.

That's a great steal. The cracking of the logos, and the rusted chain tells me it was left outside for a LOOONG time. After all the TLC put into restoring her. It's still worth the price!

Great video David, thank you for putting this information out there. My question is - did you examine the mechanical aspects of the bike yourself before you purchased? or did you purchase more or less on a hunch/gut feeling?

Pure fun. there is so few things in life that are this pure.

Where I live, Northwest Arkansas, that crankset goes for $400! Great stuff David!

I had this bike built up myself with a Campagnolo Athena groupset. Still one of the GOATs! I love the CAAD12es, especially in this Acid Red. But in Germany it’s hard to find a good one below 1000€… Lol, just found out that my old bike is currently for sale again 😅

What a bargain that was! Very interesting to hear a proper mechanics thoughts as well.

I LOVE recycling older bikes! Heck go a few years further back and you can get an even better price sometimes, but still this is a great score. But yea bikes left outside are tougher to restore but still is possible.

Like the video i have a caad 12 disc its done around 25,000 miles and still going strong a great bike

David's teleporting skills are doing my head in 😵‍💫